Utility is preferable to grandeur.
Meaning: Practical usefulness in daily life matters more than impressive but ornamental displays of wealth or status.
Origin: Recorded in A Dictionary of English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, an undated collection published in London by Whittaker & Co. around 1880 and credited to Thomas Preston. Its earlier history hasn't been traced.
More proverbs about Wisdom
- War is death's feast. — Conflict creates abundant opportunity for mortality, making death thrive where violence s…
- Wedlock is a padlock. — Marriage's binding commitment removes personal freedom and independence once entered.
- Be not weary of well-doing. — Persistent good actions, though exhausting, yield their reward through accumulated virtue…
- Win first, lose last. — Victory requires sustained effort; initial success means nothing without perseverance thr…
- Wit bought is twice taught. — Learning through painful experience costs dearly but teaches lessons that instruction alo…
- Wool sellers know wool buyers. — Those sharing similar interests or professions understand each other's needs and motivati…
From our untranslatable words
- Blunda — To close your eyes on purpose — and, by extension, to knowingly refuse to see something.
- Fredagsmys — The Friday-night ritual of soft clothes, snacks and television with the people you live w…
- Gökotta — Rising at first light for no reason but to go outside and hear the birds sing.